Little Lost Memories
by TakagiNaoSama
Summary: Haruka & Michiru recall tender memories of their childhoods in the Silver Millennium.


author: Samantha  
Rating: G  
Timeline: Silver Millennium  
Notes/Summary: The flashback in this story is what takes place in the Silver Millennium. The short sections before and after take place after SailorStars, but they're just introductions to the story.  
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Little Lost Memories

"Come on, Michiru, get on. It's not going to hurt you."

Michiru backs against the tree behind her and shakes her head. "Iya. I'm not getting on. It'll throw me off and I'll fall and get all hurt and dirty. I'm not doing it."

Haruka sighs. "Michiru, the horse is not going to throw you off. Everything will be fine. Here," the blonde holds out her hand, "come up and ride with me. I won't let you fall."

The Neptunian girl inches toward her lover's hand but continues to hesitate in taking it.

"I promise it's okay, Michiru-san." Mamoru holds her waist from behind. "Here, I'll help you up. Ready?"

Haruka grabs Michiru's hand while she's distracted.

"Wait! I'm not ready! I don't want to!"

"Don't be scared, Michiru."

"Ready? Ichi, ni, san!" Mamoru lifts Michiru up and onto the saddle while Haruka pulls the girl in front of her on the horse. Michiru remains sitting sidesaddle and leans into Haruka with her arms tightly around her waist.

"See now, it's not that bad, is it?"

"Yes it is! Haruka, don't let me go. I'll fall, I know it."

"Oh, really? I don't recall you having these feelings in the past."

"What? I've never been on a horse before."

Usagi has Mamoru direct their horse beside Haruka and Michiru's. "That's not what I heard, Michiru-san. Haruka-san told me that back in the Silver Millennium you wanted more than anything to ride on a horse."

---

The two young princesses peek around the outer wall of the Neptune Palace's gardens and wait out a passing guard.

"Okay, Neptune, when that guard reaches the fountain, we run for the woods, understand?"

"Ah, hai, but are you sure the woods are safe?"

"Of course! They wouldn't put anything evil within ten miles of the palace. Now get ready."

"Demo, Uranus, what if they catch us?"

"They won't! Ready," Uranus grabs her friend's hand and steps out from behind the grass wall, "go!"

The girls run, hand in hand, across the short field between the garden and forest. They avoid sight of the guards and disappear into the shade of the trees.

"Uranus, where are we going?"

"Somewhere I discovered last time I visited. I'm surprised you haven't seen it since it is your planet."

Neptune smiles. "Not yet. Sometime in the future, when I become queen, it will be mine."

"Hai, but first you have to get married and have a whole family of little Princess Neptunes for me to play with!"

"No, silly, because you will be the queen of Uranus. You'll have your own family and princesses to take care of."

Uranus laughs at her friend's words. "That won't happen. I'm going to rule Uranus by myself. I don't need anybody to help me."

"Don't you want a family?" Neptune asks with shock in her voice.

"You can help me if I get in trouble, okay? Our planets are next to each other, after all. We can be friends forever."

"Hai."

Uranus pushes aside the last tree branch on the path to their destination. Neptune gasps and squeezes her hand.

"Oh, Uranus, it's beautiful!"

A small field of multicolored roses reveals itself within the shade of trees. Neptune runs into the clearing and kneels in the flowers, carefully picking a rose and inhaling its scent.

"Sugoi! I don't believe these are growing here! The only known rose gardens in this solar system are on Earth."

"Hai, but I hear those are only red roses. Your planet must be special to grow so many other colors."

Neptune smiles and continues walking a path through the garden, bending down to collect a different color rose every few steps. Uranus finds a pure white rose and kneels to grab it, accidentally pricking her finger on its thorn.

"Itai!"

"What happened?" Neptune drops her bunch of flowers when seeing her friend in distress. She kisses the bleeding finger gently. "You have to be careful. Rose thorns are razor sharp."

"Too bad, because I was picking it for you."

"Really?"

Uranus nods and carefully removes the thorns from the stem then places it behind Neptune's ear. "You're so pretty, Neptune. Sometimes I wonder what it's like to be as pretty as you."

"What are you talking about? Uranus, you're beautiful! You can't say otherwise because you're a princess, so you know it's true."

"Why is that?"

"I really don't know. I guess it's the royalty thing. All princesses are pure and beautiful and all princes are strong and handsome. They'll attract each other and keep the bloodline royal."

Uranus rolls her eyes and throws her hands in the air. "Heredity."

The aqua-haired girl laughs. "Hai. But do you notice that although everyone says how they wish they were a prince or princess, there are so many freedoms we don't have."

Uranus nods and counts on her fingers. "'Don't get dirty; no running; talk politely; don't slurp your soup; use manners; you're not curtseying properly!'"

"'You're wearing this today; this is for dinner and you're going to like it; you're learning the violin today; sleep only on your back; be out of bed by-'"

They tell you how to sleep on Neptune? That's harsh!"

"You haven't been told yet? They said it's something to do with when we get older. All princesses have to do it."

"Well, I'm not doing it. That's stupid."

Neptune giggles. "You've always been like that."

A loud shout and the sound of the ground rumbling attracts the girls' attention. They leave the rose garden and make their way towards the sound, finding a large group of soldiers on horseback proceeding along a dirt path in the forest.

"Sugoi," Neptune whispers as her eyes light up. "The horses are so pretty. That's one thing I've always wanted to do is ride a horse."

"Really? You want to?"

"Hai."

"Yoshi!" Uranus stands, grabs her friend's hand tightly and pulls her out directly out in front of the battalion.

The leading soldiers halt the rest of the regiment and ride up beside the two young princesses. "Princess Neptune, how did you get so far from the palace? And you're out here alone!"

"No, Uranus is with me, see."

"Even worse! If something would happen to her under our protection, there's no telling what Uranus would do to us. Come on, we have to take you back to the palace." Two soldiers dismount their horses and lift the girls onto them. While proceeding back to the palace, Neptune gives Uranus a very pleasing smile to which the blonde princess returns.

---

"Don't tell me you didn't remember that, Michiru-san."

"I didn't until now. It's strange."

Haruka kisses Michiru's head. "So you really don't remember everything about our past, huh?"

"It's not my fault. Just one of those lost Silver Millennium memories."


End file.
